Antimicrobials In Agriculture And The Environment: Reducing Unnecessary Use And Waste

Generated Summary

This report, published by the independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), examines the impact of antibiotic use in the agricultural sector, focusing on livestock production, and the release of antimicrobials and resistant bacteria into the environment. The study aims to build on policy statements from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to reduce unnecessary use of antimicrobials in agriculture and the environment. The report highlights the extent of global use of antibiotics and antifungals in food production, the risks this poses to human health, and the economic benefits of using antibiotics in agriculture versus the costs of changing practices. The report also delves into the problems in the manufacturing process of antimicrobials and proposes policy interventions to reduce antimicrobial use in agriculture and improve manufacturing practices. The methodology involves a literature review of 280 peer-reviewed research articles that address antibiotic use in agriculture. The report suggests the need for a global target to reduce antibiotic use in food production, along with restrictions on the use of antibiotics important for humans, the rapid development of minimum standards to reduce antimicrobial manufacturing waste, and improved surveillance to monitor these problems.

Key Findings & Statistics

• More than 70% of medically important antibiotics in the US are used in animals.
• Consumption of antimicrobials by animals to produce meat products in BRICS countries alone is set to double between 2010 and 2030.
• The review found that 72% of the 139 academic studies showed a link between antibiotic consumption in animals and resistance in humans.
• In the US, more than 70% of the antibiotics deemed medically important for human health are used in livestock.
• Use of antimicrobials in aquaculture in Norway fell by 99% between 1987 and 2013, despite the industry’s output growing more than 20-fold over that time.
• Global consumption of antibiotics in agriculture is estimated to increase by 67% from 2010 to 2030, with a 99% increase in the BRICS countries.
• In Denmark, antimicrobial use in swine decreased by 51% between 1992 and 2008.
• In Denmark, antimicrobial use in poultry decreased 90% in absolute terms between 1995 and 2008.
• In The Netherlands, antibiotic sales to Dutch livestock farms decreased 56% between 2007 and 2012.
• In China, colistin-resistant E. coli was found in more than 20% of animals and in 15% of raw meat samples.
• The amount of antibiotics used for crops is estimated to be relatively low, ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 percent of total agricultural antibiotic consumption.
• Fungal infections contribute to the deaths of almost three-quarters of a million people each year.
• Among 41 antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals by the FDA, 31 are categorized as being medically important for human use.
• The average antibiotic use in the EU is 146.7 mg/kg, and the goal is to reduce this by two-thirds.

Other Important Findings

• The report indicates that the widespread use of antibiotics in animal agriculture is a significant contributor to the rise of antibiotic resistance, posing a threat to human health.
• The use of antibiotics in animals for growth promotion, which is not therapeutic, is a major concern, and there is growing evidence that it does not provide significant economic benefits, especially in advanced farming countries.
• The report emphasizes the need for a global target to reduce antibiotic use in food production and suggests that the best way to reduce overall antibiotic use is to establish targets or limits for antibiotic use in agriculture and aquaculture, to an agreed limit for each country, whilst allowing individual countries to work out the best way to meet their goals.
• The report suggests the rapid development of minimum standards to reduce antimicrobial manufacturing waste released into the environment is needed.
• The report calls for improved surveillance to monitor the problems of antibiotic use in agriculture and release during manufacturing, and the impact on resistance and human health.
• Vaccines are identified as an important intervention to reduce the need for antibiotics, and diagnostics are highlighted as crucial for better-targeted antibiotic use.
• The report underscores the need for public awareness and education to drive consumer choices towards products with reduced antibiotic use.
• The report highlights that the economic case for interventions to lower unnecessary use is based on externalities, where actions have external effects on third parties.
• The report provides two case studies for lowering antibiotic use in agriculture, Denmark and The Netherlands, who have successfully reduced antibiotic use while maintaining or increasing productivity.

Limitations Noted in the Document

• The report acknowledges the difficulty in estimating the precise quantity of antimicrobials used globally in food production due to poor surveillance and data collection in many countries.
• The report acknowledges that the scientific debate around the impact of antibiotic use in animals and its effect on human health is likely to continue as we develop more advanced ways of tracing the origins of resistant bacteria.
• The report notes the difficulty in defining and enforcing the type of antibiotic use, which might lead to redefining the use that is growth-promoting as prophylactic or even therapeutic.
• The report highlights the need for more research and better surveillance systems to generate more data and information to understand the complex relationship between antibiotic use, resistance, and human health.
• The report points out the potential challenges in implementing a global target, given the varying economic, political, and cultural contexts of different countries.

Conclusion

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance emphasizes the critical need to address the overuse of antibiotics in food production to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The report provides a comprehensive overview of the problem, highlighting the scale of antibiotic use, the associated risks to human health, and the economic factors involved. The key message is that urgent action is needed. The evidence overwhelmingly supports a link between antibiotic use in agriculture and the development of resistance in humans. The report calls for immediate action, proposing a global target to reduce antibiotic use, minimum standards for waste management, and improved surveillance. The report stresses that success depends on a multifaceted approach, including regulation, taxation, subsidies, and public awareness campaigns. The report also emphasizes that countries should decide how to meet the targets. Vaccines and diagnostic tools are highlighted as essential tools in this fight, emphasizing that innovation is critical. The report indicates that many high-income countries that have made significant progress in lowering antibiotic use in agriculture, while remaining commercially competitive, are the Netherlands and Denmark. The report’s recommendations are ambitious but achievable, with the ultimate goal of protecting human health and safeguarding the future of food production. The report underscores that global action is crucial and that the burden of proof should be on those who oppose curtailing antibiotic use in food production to explain why, not the other way around. The report highlights that reducing the crossover of antimicrobials used by both humans and animals could play a role in reducing the burden of disease on humans, and reducing the risk of cross-resistance. The report emphasizes the need for a harmonized global approach towards identifying those antimicrobials of greatest importance to human health and the development of more vaccines and diagnostics to better the effects of resistance on human health.